Lois W. Stern Shares Her Secrets For Making Her Tales2Inspire Books Top Sellers

MAKING MY TALES2INSPIRE BOOKS TOP SELLERS

By Lois W. Stern

Founder, Contributor and Editor of the #Tales2Inspire Series of anthologies

Contributing #AuthorsHelpingAuthors associate here on the #SharingwithWriters Blog

Did you ever think of selling your books from the comfort of your home? At one time I thought about it too, looked into several inernet pay options, but nixed them all as they seemed too involved.

Then I learned about ZELLE.

The name of this game is SAFE, QUICK 'n EASY and FREE. 

Zelle is a safe, flexible, no fee way to make or receive a payments - all from the comfort of your home. 

SAFE: Despite all the talk of internet scams, when used properly, Zelle is extremely safe because you are not giving out either credit card or bank account information. This bank to bank transfer of funds moves a dollar amount from the buyer’s account to the account of the seller. The buyer’s bank simply transfers that inputted amount from one account to the other, without revealing the account number of either party. If you already pay your bills online, you're good to go. Once you sign in, there will be a drop down menu for paying bills. At my bank it looks like this:

• You can set up your Zelle account using either your cell phone number or your email address. I set up my Zelle account with my email address because I knew I planned to use Zelle beyond the scope of my family and friends. You see, my email address, [email protected] is posted everywhere, but I wanted to keep my cell number private.
• 
  
• QUICK: When making a Zelle payment, you simply input the amount owed, the name and identifier (either e-mail or cell number, but not both) of the person you are paying, click a button and DONE. An immediate Bank-to-Bank transfer of funds takes place.

 

EASY: I asked Siri to compare Zelle with traditional payment options and up came the chart, below.

FREE: Absolutely no charges for this service.

Most major banks now use Zelle. Here is a partial list:

• Bank of America
• Chase
• Wells Fargo
• Capital One
• U.S. Bank
• Citibank (Citi)
• Truist
• PNC Bank
• TD Bank
• Fifth Third Bank

Other banks are quickly incorporating Zelle into their banking systems, so If you don't see your bank listed above, you might want to give them a call to check it out.

STILL NOT CONVINCED? If you're still not sure this is for you, do what I did: Ask a friend if you could Zelle them $1. Once it arrives, return the favor and Zelle them back $1. in return.  

CAUTION

Only use Zelle to make payments to people you know and trust. To avoid falling victim to a scam, never use Zelle to buy goods or services from online marketplaces or strangers. 

SINCE USING ZELLE, MY BOOK SALES HAVE TRIPLED:

Since I have published all twelve of my Tales2Inspire books with Amazon KDP, I came up with a creative idea for selling more books while offering Zelle as a payment option. It all starts with a Jotform I created, and you can create one too, for free. Click here, to check it out (or copy and paste https://form.jotform.com/260094023611041 into your browser). 

COMING SOON: A whole new Sharing with Writers section, where I'll be sharing details of my project and inviting readers to post their best marketimg tips as well. 

Writing Success

 

 

 

 Contributed by Karen Cioffi, Children's Writer

Writers has their own view of what Writing success is. Some writers may simply want to get a book or article published; others may want to be on the New York Times Best Sellers List; others may want to make a living writing; and others may be seeking wealth and fame. The key here is to dig down and really know what your perception of writing success is.

Once you are sure what you are aiming for, take the necessary steps to become the writing success you dream of. Sounds easy, right? Well, we all know it’s not; if it were, there would be no struggling writers.

The first problem we encounter is actually realizing how we perceive success or what we want from our writing efforts. According to Jack Canfield, co-creator of Chicken Soup for the Soul, the number one reason for being stuck and not realizing your potential or goals is the lack of clarity.

Step One: You Must Define Your Goals 
It’s not sufficient to state you want to be a published writer; you need to proclaim the specifics. You want to be a self-help nonfiction author of published books and magazine articles, earning an income of $100,000 per year. You can even get much more specific than that—the more specific your goals and intentions are, the more likely you will attain them.

Step Two: Prepare a Plan
When you finally have a breakthrough and know exactly what you want from your writing efforts, you need to prepare a detailed plan. Your plan, just like your goals, needs to be very specific. 

Think of a recipe: You plan on baking a cake, but you’ll need more than just the ingredients; you’ll need the exact amount of each ingredient, the proper procedure for mixing them together, the baking temperature, how long to bake it, how long to cool it before removing it from the pan . . . you get the idea.

Now you’re on your way. You have specific goals and a detailed plan, but you’re still not achieving success.

Step Three: Take Action
Think of the first two steps as the foundation of your house. To move forward toward success, you need to build the house. This takes action; it actually takes more than just action; it takes ongoing action and perseverance to carry you through to completion.

Step Four: Projection
You have the other steps down pat; now, picture yourself attaining your goals. According to motivational speakers, you will have a much greater chance of making it happen by projecting success. This step encompasses a number of strategies such as envisioning, projection, projection boards, and affirmations.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Karen Cioffi is an award-winning children’s author, working ghostwriter, rewriter, and coach. If you'd like to learn more about writing for children or need help with your story, visit Writing for Children with Karen Cioffi. 

You can check out Karen’s books HERE and her DIY webpage HERE.

Connect with Karen on SOCIAL MEDIA. 

----- 

MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the multi award-winning author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning #HowToDoItFrugally Series (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BTXQL27T/ ) of books for writers including "The Frugal Book Promoter" (https://bit.ly/FrugalBookPromoIII), and "The Frugal Editor" both offered in their third editions by Modern History Press. Others in that series are "How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically," and two booklets, both in their second editions also from Modern History Press. The booklets, "Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers" (https://bit.ly/LastMinuteEditsII) and "Great First Impression Book Proposals" (https://bit.ly/BookProposalsII) are career boosters in mini doses and both make ideal thank you gifts for authors. The one on writing book proposals is also available as an Audio Book. "The Frugal Editor "(https://tinyurl.com/TheFrugalEditor), was recently released in its third edition. It is the winningest book in this series for writers. Carolyn also has three frugal books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it helps them understand what is needed to convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It is "A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques" (https://bit.ly/RetailersGuide). In addition to this blog, Carolyn helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at https://TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at "The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor" (https://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com). Learn more and follow it to get news on her new releases directly from Amazon at https://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile.

Nina Amir’s Newest Book Might be The Most Important of This Decade-

Dear Subscribers and Visitors:

I received a notice from Amazon that Amazon has Nina Amir’s newest book in release. I get them because I have followed her author profile on Amazon; they do this for all authors who appear on Amazon so this serves as kind of a tip for all my precious subscribers and visitors, for sure.  But it’s also a recommendation for this book of hers which will also be included and recommended in the  it my book “Word by Word” that will soon be released by Amazon, too. (If you’ve followed my profile there, you’ll be among the first to get that notice, too!). 

Here is the quotation I used as a guide for the appendix and I hope you’ll take it to heart! I’m in the final stages of editing and indexing now so what you see here might be different than what’s in my book, but you are always welcome to quote me when I write something that will help anything I praise--I’m not all that eager to go viral with anything that isn’t positive.  This one is a rave! I think most of you know that I am convinced that the voices of authors are needed now more than ever and after you’ve read this recommendation you’ll see that it is dedicated to encouraging authors to speak out and speak up! 

  

“I have long admired Nina Amir’s advocacy for authors, and she’s back with a comprehensive writing guide for a book more in need now than ever before—this time for authors who seek to create change. When Change the World One Book at a Time becomes a bestseller, it might be the one book credited with the differences its readers create in individual lives, communities, organizations, and the world.” 

~ Carolyn Howard-Johnson, fiction writer, poet, and author of her multi award-winning series of books for writers. 

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR OF THIS NEW RELEASE

      

     Nina Amir is The Inspiration to Creation Coach: 

With Nina you Achieve More Inspired Results

Author, Certified High Performance Coach, Transformational Coach

Reach her at: ninaamir.com 

505-508-1025

      Learn more about her books here: booksbyninaamir.com

Change the World One Book at a Time, Creative Visualization for Writers, The Author Training Manual, How to Blog a Book, and the Write Nonfiction NOW! series of guides.

Change the World One Book At a Time/ 

Make a Positive and Meaningful Difference With Your Words/ 

Amir.html

MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER 

This badge was a gift from @W. Terry Whalin, author and author advocate. 

      Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the multi award-winning author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning #HowToDoItFrugally Series (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BTXQL27T/ ) of books for writers including "The Frugal Book Promoter" (https://bit.ly/FrugalBookPromoIII), and "The Frugal Editor" both offered in their third editions by Modern History Press. Others in that series are "How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically," and two booklets, both in their second editions also from Modern History Press. The booklets, "Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers" (https://bit.ly/LastMinuteEditsII) and "Great First Impression Book Proposals" (https://bit.ly/BookProposalsII) are career boosters in mini doses and both make ideal thank you gifts for authors. The one on writing book proposals is also available as an Audio Book. "The Frugal Editor "(https://tinyurl.com/TheFrugalEditor), was recently released in its third edition. It is the winningest book in this series for writers. 

     Carolyn also has three frugal books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it helps them understand what is needed to convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It is "A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques" (https://bit.ly/RetailersGuide). In addition to this blog, Carolyn helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at https://TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at "The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor" (https://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com). Learn more and follow it to get news on her new releases directly from Amazon at https://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile.

Children's Story Writing: Plot and Arcs

 

 Contributed by Karen Cioffi, Children's Writer

 Lately, I've received a number of picture book manuscripts from potential clients who wanted quotes on editing.

Once I read over the stories, I quickly knew they weren't an editing project because there were no actual stories. They were a list of events or scenes.

It seems to be a common problem with new authors who don't take the time to learn the very basics of writing a story.

So, what exactly is a story and plot?

An article at The Write Practice uses a quote from E. M. Forster to explain the difference between story and plot: "The king died and then the queen died," is a story. "The king died, and then the queen died of grief" is a plot.

The story is the basic storyline. It's the overall description of the story.

In my chapter book, "Walking Through Walls," the storyline is that the protagonist wants to become rich and powerful, no matter what it takes. 

The plot is in the details.

The plot of "Walking Through Walls" is that the protagonist wants to become rich and powerful, no matter what it takes, and he believes learning magic will get him there. 

Another good example of story and plot is "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin.

The story: Within one hour, the protagonist thinks her husband died in a train crash. Having missed the train, he comes home, and the protagonist drops dead.

The plot: The protagonist thinks her husband died in a train crash. Having missed the train, he comes home, and the protagonist drops dead, but it's not from the shock of overwhelming joy. 

Paints quite a different story, doesn't it?

Now, if you have a series of events: Pickles the dog plays with a cat, then plays with a frog, then plays with a goat, then plays with a pig, you don't have a story arc or character development.

I'll have clients ask why something like the above isn't a story. The dog is having lots of fun with different animals.

Well, if it was a concept book teaching about animals, then it could work. 

But if it's to be a fiction story, it doesn't work. The reason is it lacks a story arc and a character arc.

The story arc is the path the overall story takes. Every character in the story goes on this journey. It's also called the narrative arc. 

The character arc, on the other hand, is the path the protagonist takes. 

Just like the story takes the reader on a journey, so does the protagonist. 

The character arc is all about the protagonist. It's him confronting a conflict or challenge, his attempts to overcome it, and his ultimate success. Through this character journey, the protagonist grows in some way. She may gain knowledge, become confident, mature, rise to challenges, or grow in some other way. But it's essential there is growth, especially when writing for children. 

So, going back to Pickles the dog, he has no conflict or challenge to overcome. He doesn't grow in any way.

And as for the Pickles story, it's flat. There's no arc.

Readers won't become invested in a series of events. They want to connect to the protagonist and root for him to overcome his obstacles. They want a full story arc and character arc.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Karen Cioffi is an award-winning children’s author, ghostwriter, rewriter, and coach with over 400 clients worldwide. For more tips on writing for children or if you need help with your children’s story, please visit Karen Cioffi Writing for Children. While there, you can check out Karen’s books.
 
-----

A feature in the right column of this blog lets you subscribe to #SharingwithWriters so you don’t miss any of Karen’s posts on writing for children. 
 

-----

MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the multi award-winning author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning #HowToDoItFrugally Series (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BTXQL27T/ ) of books for writers including "The Frugal Book Promoter" (https://bit.ly/FrugalBookPromoIII), and "The Frugal Editor" both offered in their third editions by Modern History Press. Others in that series are "How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically," and two booklets, both in their second editions also from Modern History Press. The booklets, "Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers" (https://bit.ly/LastMinuteEditsII) and "Great First Impression Book Proposals" (https://bit.ly/BookProposalsII) are career boosters in mini doses and both make ideal thank you gifts for authors. The one on writing book proposals is also available as an Audio Book. "The Frugal Editor "(https://tinyurl.com/TheFrugalEditor), was recently released in its third edition. It is the winningest book in this series for writers. Carolyn also has three frugal books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it helps them understand what is needed to convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It is "A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques" (https://bit.ly/RetailersGuide). In addition to this blog, Carolyn helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at https://TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at "The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor" (https://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com). Learn more and follow it to get news on her new releases directly from Amazon at https://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile.